Israel: Rockets fired from the Sinai hit Eilat, causing no casualties

18th Apr 2013

At least two rockets fired from Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula exploded in the Red Sea town of Eilat early on Wednesday, causing no casualties, the Israeli army and police said.

“We’ve found two explosion sites in the city, we’ve also closed off the airport as a precaution,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told AFP, saying one landed in “an open area close to one of the neighborhoods.”

He said the sirens had sounded but that there were no initial reports of casualties. “Bomb disposal experts are searching the area,” he said.

The military spokeswoman said both rockets had struck open areas.

“There were two rockets fired from Sinai, both landed in open spaces,” she said.

Egypt’s military said on Wednesday it was still investigating whether the rockets had come from Egypt’s Sinai peninsula.

“We are still investigating to see if they were delivered from Egyptian territories but nothing is confirmed yet,” a senior military official told AFP.

Israeli military sources said the Iron Dome anti-missile system, which was recently deployed around Eilat, did not engage to intercept the rockets.

“Due to operational circumstances the battery located in the area did not intercept the incoming rockets,” the source said, without saying why.

Israeli media reports also said two rockets had landed in the nearby resort town of Aqaba in Jordan, in a report denied by security officials in Amman.

“All military and security services in Aqaba have confirmed that nothing happened in Aqaba. It was only on the other side,” Amer Sartawi, spokesman for the Public Security Department, told AFP.

At least two Aqaba residents contacted by AFP said they were unaware of rockets landing in the city.

Eilat lies on the northernmost point of the Gulf of Aqaba, a narrow stretch of water bordered on one side by the Sinai and the other by Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

Last April, a rocket fired from Sinai hit Eilat but caused no casualties, with police finding another unexploded rocket near the city several days later.

In August, another two rockets rocked the city, again injuring no-one.

That attack was claimed by an Islamist group calling itself Ansar Jerusalem which said it had fired two Grad rockets at the city.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence 2015 was held on March in London to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to the society.

The Muslim News Awards for Excellence event is to acknowledge British Muslim and non-Muslim contributions to society. Over 850 people from diverse background, Muslim and non-Muslim, attended the gala dinner.